Thane man arrested with country-made weapons and live cartridges

Ramniwas Mithulal Katariya purchased the arms from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and planned to sell them in Mumbai.

The Vinoba Bhave Nagar police arrested a 25-year-old man on Wednesday and seized five country-made revolvers, and three cartridges from his possession. He was produced before a court and remanded to custody for two days.

The accused planned to sell the weapons in Mumbai (HT Photo)

The accused, Ramniwas Mithulal Katariya, lived on a footpath near Thane railway station since the past two years and confessed to authorities that he purchased the arms from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested after a trap was laid near HDIL building in Kurla. Katariya, a native of Nepal, claimed that it was the first time he had committed the crime, thinking that he could earn some quick money by selling the revolvers and cartridges, said police officials.

He said that he had bought the weapons for Rs5,000 and estimated that he could sell them in Mumbai for Rs20,000. Police officials suspect that Katariya was simply a delivery boy who would earn commission on each firearm he sold. Police are verifying his criminal history.